Slytherin and Proud
by magichasprices
Summary: Lily Potter, daughter of the legendary Harry Potter, is finally entering her first year at Hogwarts, but the last thing she expects is to be Sorted into the infamous Slytherin house...
1. Chapter 1: Hogwarts at Last

**Chapter One: Platform Nine and Three-Quarters**

My name is Lily, like the flower on the rippling water opening its white petals to the sky, my middle name is Luna, the silver crescent glowing against the velvety black sky. Finally my last name is Potter, which means a lot in the word I live in.

Me? I live in a world of magic.

I still remember September the first, two years ago, when I clung onto my father's arm while we walked down King's Cross Station, telling him I wanted to follow my brothers to school _now. _Of course I couldn't have, only nine years old at the time.

But here I was now, my fingers numb as I gripped the trolley so hard my knuckles turned white, pushing it down the very station with the tawny brown owl in the cage staring at me with her large eyes. In front of me Albus was talking animatedly to James about his new subjects as a third year, and James listening with a slightly bored expression. And then me, so silent you might've thought I was mute.

We drew curious gazes from the Muggle commuters, with our trolleys loaded with a huge trunk and most strangely of all, an owl cage. I counted the numbers as we passed them-Platform three...five...seven...nine.

We stopped.

As always James dashed through first, charging towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, on a seemingly reckless, head-on collision course. But he just disappeared. I wasn't alarmed. I'd seen it so many times already, when my mum and dad saw Teddy off, as they so often did, then later when James started going to school. Then it was Albus' turn. Finally now it was mine.

I passed through the magical barrier with no problem, something I'd been doing for years. Usually I went home after eleven o clock. This year I'd finally get onto the scarlet Hogwarts Express, puffing and billowing smoke.

"Lily!" Someone said, sounding relieved, grabbing my shoulder. It was a voice I knew well.

"Hugo." I smiled, mirroring his relief. Hugo Weasley was my favourite out of my numerous cousins, who'd be attending Hogwarts for the first time this year, like me. He had wild brown hair but his father's eyes. Not like me. I looked like my mum, down to the distinctive ginger hair.

"Hey, Lily, Albus." Hugo's older sister, a third year like Albus, waved at me as she approached us with her parents.

"It's almost eleven, we'd better get going." Albus said, staring worriedly at the clock. James had already given mum a quick kiss and then disappeared to find his friends and to relieve himself of his trunk. "Rose, we'd better get a move on."

Rose nodded. "You'll be all right, Hugo?"

"I'll be fine." Hugo waved his older sister away.

"Okay." She hugged her parents and ran off with Albus to load their trunks.

My father, Harry, was a Gryffindor like my mum and Hugo's parents. They were all involved in the war against Voldemort, especially my dad, but he says I'm not ready to know about it. James knows, but he won't tell me. All I know is that it has something to do with that distinctive lightning-shaped scar on my father's forehead.

"There's Malfoy again." Hugo's mum, Hermione, said quietly.

Malfoy. I'd heard that name multiple times. Albus complained frequently about a third year Slytherin with that name; dad and mum sometimes mention it in passing. They are the aristocrats in the wizarding world.

Dad caught Mr. Malfoy's eye-he's the tall, blonde man with the coat and pointed chin-and they nodded at each other. That's all they ever did when they saw each other.

"Lily, darling, you'd better go. You don't want to miss the train." Mum said gently. I notice that they've loaded my trunk for me.

I turned to her. "You'll write to me?"

"Of course. As often as you want." She said soothingly, hugging me. "Have fun. Make friends. Don't get into too much trouble, not like your father and your uncle... right Ron?" She looked pointedly at her brother who shrugged sheepishly. "And honey, don't worry too much about the sorting." She smiled and looked at dad. "Any house is lucky to have you."

To be honest, I hadn't considered any other houses besides Gryffindor. I mean, practically everyone I knew had been in Gryffindor. "OK..." I whispered. I was really going away, for months, I wouldn't see them. But I wasn't going to cry-I was going to Hogwarts!

The first time I met him was on the Hogwarts Express. Hugo and I were being led by Albus and Rose, trying to find an empty compartment, or one with familiar faces. Rose saw one that looked empty, but as we got nearer Albus' face darkened and he said in disgust, "no, it's full. Go on, Rose."

Rose frowned too and moved on. I looked in as we passed and saw that it wasn't full, it only had three people in it. One-the one gazing at us in contempt as we walked by-looked familiar somehow. Light blonde hair, pointed chin... of course. he resembled Draco Malfoy down to every detail. This was Scorpius Malfoy.


	2. Chapter 2: Scorpius Malfoy

**Chapter Two: Scorpius Malfoy**

When Albus and Rose ae hailed by some friends, it's up to Hugo and I to find our own compartment. We're walking down the train almost about to give up when suddenly Hugo points out an empty one. "Look, there's one."

We go in, sit and look at each other, feeling rather awkward. _Now what?_ I thought. "Um... you want to play Exploding Snap?" Hugo suggests. "Or, if you want I've got a wizard chess set in my bag."

I shake my head. Hugo's a master at wizard chess like his dad. He trashes me every time. "Okay... then..."

"I'll read." I said, blushing a little; I'm turning down everything he suggests. Hugo looks a little disappointed but knows me well enough to not be rejected. I take out my dad's old book, one of my favourites: Quidditch through the Ages. Hugo shrugs as I thumb through the well-worn pages, looking through the pictures of the Chudley Cannons speeding through the air on their brooms.

He takes out a silver lighter I've seen before-the Put-Outer. It had been his dad's and before that, Albus Dumbledore's, the greatest headmaster of Hogwarts there's ever been. He was killed when my father was sixteen.

"Hugo, quit it." I say after a few moments of the lights zipping in and out of the lamps.

He stops and stares at the Put-Outer for a while. The silence is disrupted by the sound of a cat hissing, scratching and pawing at the compartment door. "Felis?" Hugo gasps, letting the distressed cat in. Felis is Rose's cat. He is distinct muddy orange with a slightly squashed-looking face and obviously bowlegged. It is the kid of Hugo's mum's cat Crookshanks and had a distinct mean streak.

Right now, though, Felis looksnothing like his usual mean self. In fact, he's on Hugo's lap looking terribly frightened. At this point I hear Rose's voice outside, "has anyone seen Felis...?" Then she stops abruptly, just as I was about to call her. "Oh, it's you." She says, sounding annoyed. "What do you want?"

A smooth voice replies, "nothing to do with you, Rose."

Rose huffs. "Whatever. Where's my cat?"

I stand and poke my head out of the compartment. "We've got Felis, Rose."

She looks relieved. "Thank God." She pushes past the owner of the second voice and comes to reclaim Felis, who purrs in her arms. I look at the person she'd been talking to. He turns, catches my gaze and holds it for a few moments. Then Scorpius turns back around and disappears into his compartment.

It's a few hours later when the Trolley Witch comes by. Between Hugo and I, we basically buy some of everything. As we sit there munching on Chocolate Frogs and swapping cards, I watch the scenery zip by.

"Lily, do you want this? It's Kingsley Shacklebolt and I already have seven of him." Hugo holds up the card of the Minister of Magic.

"Sure." I take the card and add it to my pile. As I bite the head of my Frog off, I notice the card: HARRY POTTER. "Hey, it's my dad!"

Hugo takes a look. "Cool." He says, like he hasn't seen the card a million times while growing up, like I have. "I'd love to be on a Chocolate Frog card."

"I don't know." I muse. "It'd mean everyone know who you are."

"That's cool." Hugo protests. "I mean, you'd be famous!"

I shrug. "I'm not like the Slytherins, I'm not ambitious. I'd rather stay in the shadows."

Soon it's getting dark out and we've already changed to our robes. We're trying to build a house of Exploding Snap cards which blows up in our faces just as we put the last card on.

We sit back and just stare out the window as we pull up at Hogsmeade station. Exactly as everyone had told me, the enormous figure of the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, who by now is getting on in years, in his moleskin coat, holding a lamp and calling for the first years.

I feel a thrill of excitement as students begin to pour out of the train. This is it. I'm finally here. I can see the lit windows of the castle in the distance, the lights reflected on the surface of the lake where the merpeople and the giant squid-and maybe some of its offspring-reside. The lake we're about to cross, as is tradition for the first years. The rest of the school take carriages pulled by Thestrals, skeletal black horses only visible to those who have seen death.

Hugo and I smile at Hagrid as we got to him; he knows our parents and siblings well, and he's come around a few times. He grinned back at us, recognising my Weasley hair straightaway.

Riding on the boat with Hugo and I are two twins, a girl and a boy who could pass for identical if the girl cut her hair. The girl introduces herself as Lianne and her brother as Drew, who is unusually quiet especially when compared to his sister. They both have dark hair, and the most amazing silver eyes I have ever seen.

"I'm Lily Potter." I say, shaking Lianne's offered hand.

She gasps. "You're Harry Potter's daughter!"

I feel my cheeks grow hot. Is this how it's going to be all the time? Being recognised, being known, not for myself, not even for my ginger Weasley hair... but for my father and his accomplishments? "Um, yes." I say awkwardly.

"Hugo Weasley." Hugo says.

"You're both Weasleys? Cool."

Drew is staring at me. "You're..." He shakes his head. "Drew Elsgood. I think you know my mother."

"Hm?" I look at him. He's actually fairly handsome, with a hint of Asian features.

"Cho Chang." He says carefully.

My brows lift. Cho Chang. My dad's first crush and kiss. Girlfriend, I suppose. I know that name. I've heard all the stories.

He smiles when he sees my reaction. "I've got two sisters and a brother who's nine. Shay, she's a fifth year like your brother James, LiWen, she's a sixth year Ravenclaw, and Lee."

"Cool. I've got Albus and James-I'm the youngest."

He smiles sympathetically. "So what house are you aiming for?"

"Gryffindor, like my parents." I say without hesitation.

He nods. "Makes sense. I think Ravenclaw for me-nothing to do with my mum though."

"I'm not smart enough." I say.

He smiles faintly. "I'm sure you are."

"Guys." Lianne says suddenly. "We're here."


	3. Chapter 3: The Sorting

**Chapter Three: The Sorting**

I stare at the old, worn hat on the stool. It is going to set my entire life of seven years here at Hogwarts.

I am completely lost in my own world as the As to Ds are run through. Then: "Elsgood, Drew." The voice belongs to the old but stern-looking professor clad in emerald green robes and with spectacles perched on her nose that I know as Professor Minerva McGonagall. I perk up and stop daydreaming. Drew walksforward confidently and as the hat touches his dark hair, his gaze flickers to me. I flash him a thumbs-up a split second before the Hat shouts for the whole Hall to hear-

"RAVENCLAW!"

There is a burst of applause. I see a pretty Asian girl beaming and clapping the hardest of all. She has to be Drew's sister.

"Elsgood, Lianne."

Lianne practically skips up to the stool. She is the perkiest girl I've ever seen in my life.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hat yells. It suits her, the house that takes the good and kind. She is nice and bubbly and cheerful.

I zone out again until suddenly, much faster than I had expected: "Potter, Lily." There is some murmurings in the hall; the third and last Potter kid. My legs are numb as Hugo nudges me sharply in the back and I walk up to the stool. As I sit I searched the hall. There, Rose, Drew, Lianne, James, Albus. Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff. Gryffindor. Now that I'm actually sitting here with the Hat on my head, I am suddenly open to all those options.

I can hear a _hmm...hmm..._ inside my head. Then the Hat opens its mouth to deliver its verdict, the result of probing my mind. It's going to be Gryffindor. It has to be Gryffindor. I know it will be.

"SLYTHERIN!"

_What?_

I'm frozen with shock.

Hugo's eyes are huge.

_Did the Hat really just say what I think it did? _I think, dumbstruck as I pull off the Hat and lay it down on the stool. I start walking slowly towards James... no. I stop myself in time. I'm not in Gryffindor. I'm in... Slytherin. The house of snakes and dark history and everything bad I have ever known.

I'm not even aware of where I sit. I'm actually not aware of anything until, "Weasley, Hugo.", and then the accompanying cry of "GRYFFINDOR!"

And I think, _why not me?_

I didn't notice 'Zander, Steven' being sorted into Gryffindor and I certainly don't hear the Headmaster's speech. I also don't realise the food has appeared on the table until the student sitting beside me says in a slightly irritated voice, "aren't you going to eat?" His voice sounds very familiar.

I turn around. Perfect. Just my luck. It had to be, didn't it?

"Uh, yes." I admit to Scorpius, who is frowning at me with his blonde hair falling over his eyes. I dumped whatever was within arm's reach onto my plate and started to eat. Slytherin or not, I'm starving.

I'm aware of Scorpius' eyes still on me as I eat. Finally I say, "do you want something, Malfoy?"

His pale brows lift, then knit. "I wasn't expecting you to come here."

"Yeah, well, neither was I." I say snappishly.

He shrugs. "I thought you'd go to Gryffindor like your brothers."

"Me too." I say irritably, but my voice breaks a little. Actually it sort of rises in hysteria.

His face softens for a second. Then he turns away from me for the rest of the meal.

The Slytherin common room is not what I had been expecting, especially the dormitories themselves. They are just like how my mum had described the Gryffindor ones, but the quilts are patched with white and silver and different shades of green. I guess only the common room has to be intimidating.

The girl in the bed next to me looks like she was meant to be here-a deep green streak in her glossy dark brown hair, emerald eyes like a snake's, a silver snake bracelet wrapped around her wrist. Stunningly pretty, the epitome of aristocratic. I try to recall her name from the Sorting, but I can't.

"Lily." I say, holding out my hand and then regretting it. What if she's like every Slytherin I expect to meet, harsh and cold and intimidating?

But she isn't. She smiles, dimples and high cheekbones and all, and takes my hand. "Victoria, Victoria Mallins."

"Lily Potter."

"You're..." Her brows lift.

"Yes." I say, answering the question before she can finish it.

"That's really cool." She smiles. "I've got nothing interesting in _my _family."

The other girls in the room have been listening. One with a serious tan, blonde hair chopped unevenly at shoulder length, steps forward and says, "Alexandria, but please don't call me that-it's Alex."

The sporty looking but petite one with her dark hair in a neat plait and brown eyes introduces herself as Elise Cadover.

Finally the brunette with the clear blue eyes, about my height but distinctively wiry and quick, tells us that her name is Cheryl Kayne. "I'm Muggleborn." She said.

Elise shrugs and holds up her hand. "Half blood." I'm quite surprised that among the five of us there would be so many non-purebloods. Maybe Slytherin isn't as biased as I thought. "Of course Lily is a pureblood." Victoria laughs lightly.

"Did you see who was sitting next to you, Lily?" Alex says.

"Scorpius Malfoy." I says shortly. "Yes."

"You... know him?"

"Not really."

Alex lapses into silence and I wonder what she thinks of Scorpius.

I'm a late sleeper, am and always have been. In fact on the first day of class I sleep so late that there is only forty five minutes left before the first class starts, and I would have slept later had Victoria not shaken me awake. "Lily!" She cries. "Lily, wake up, you're going to be late!"

I jump out of bed, still in my pajamas, and pull on my robes as Victoria throws things into my bag. The Hall is nearly empty by the time we get there, and there are plenty of seats. As we sit and I pick up a slice of toast a piece of paper is waved in front of my face. "Here." Scorpius says coolly. "Your timetables."

I look up at him and take it. "Will you _stop _following me?"

"I'm not."

"You certainly are." I say. "Since the train. Then the Great Hall, then today..."

"You do know I am perfectly entitled to be in every single one of those places."

"Yeah, well."

"Hi," Victoria interjects, holding out her hand. "Victoria Mallins."

Scorpius hesitates for a while, then takes her hand. "Scorpius Malfoy."

"I know." She smiles.

Scorpius looks a bit sceptical at her cheerfulness and drops her hand. Vic remains undaunted, keeping that brilliant smile on her face, still so dazzling despite Scorpius' -admittedly rude- rejection. I wonder if she was cursed or something. He nods at me and leaves, shouldering his bag.

"Merlin's pants, he's _everywhere." _I mutter as I look over my timetable. "First thing today..."

"Potions." Victoria says brightly. "Double potions with-"

Please say Gryffindor, I have to see Hugo again or I am going to die...

"The Ravenclaws." She finishes.

Drew, I immediately think. Well, that isn't too bad, I suppose. "Come on, we're going to be late." Victoria nods perkily, kind of creeping me out with her constant sunny attitude, and we make our way to the potions classroom.

Although we didn't get lost, we are still about five minutes late. "Sorry, professor-" Victoria is struck silent as she came to an abrupt halt on the stone floor. All heads turn to look at us, and I sweep the classroom for familiar faces. Yes, there's Drew. He glances at me, then at the professor and grits his teeth, hard. He looks like he was trying not to jump up and hex the professor with everything he has.

The potions professor looks familiar, but that isn't the point. He is quite youngish, actually, maybe in his thirties, with a wave of light brown hair, stunning dark blue eyes and flawless skin. His robes are on the more expensive end, and he smiles at us in the exact same way Victoria always does.

"Ah." He says, surveying us pleasantly. "Miss Potter, Miss Mallins. Take a seat please."

Slowly we sit, with me trying to figure out why he looks so familiar. Then I look across at Drew again and I realise the connection. The handsome professor bears a fair bit of resemblance to Drew, the same kind of eyes, the same chin, the same careless good looks.

"I'm Professor Elsgood." He says, gazing around at us all. Goodness, I thought, he's not Drew's father, is he? I looks over at Drew again. "I have a nephew in this class, actually."

Ah.

Drew stares stonily ahead. "But no matter," he says, winking in Drew's direction, "on to Professor Slughorn's absence. He is-ah-busy, at the moment, so I will be taking the class for today. Hopefully he will be back for your next lesson."

I've heard of Professor Horace Slughorn; he'd been my father's potions teacher in his sixth year. My brothers also discussed him every now and then, but I've never met him in person, despite all the Order meetings I've secretly hung around. Thanks to my parents I've actually met a couple more professors than I'd like, including the Herbology professor, Neville Longbottom, who is one of my father's good friends. I've also met frequently the Minister for Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

I make up my mind to ask Drew why he seems so aggravated by his uncle's presence.

We breeze through the lesson-it hardly seems like a double period at all-and after that I catch up with Drew as he storms out of the classroom. "Hey!"

He stops and turns. "Oh. Hey, Lily."

"What's up with you? You've been in a proper mood all lesson."

"It's Aurum-I mean, my uncle." He says.

"I gathered that much for myself, actually." I say, while processing this bit of information. Professor Aurum Elsgood. Doesn't _aurum_ mean gold in Latin?

"Yeah, well, I don't like him. At all."

"Why? He seems very nice."

"_Seems." _Drew remarks, noticing his book was poking out of his bag and stuffing it back in with vicious force. "Nothing is like it seems. He's evil. Wicked."

"Drew, are you just being paranoid?" I ask, taken aback.

"Of course not." Drew snaps. "He's after my mum's money, Lily. He's poisoning her." He adds cuttingly. I bite my lip. He must have seen my expression because his hard eyes soften. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

I shake my head. "It's all right. I shouldn't have asked."

He looks grim. "No, I'll tell you. Walk with me."

As we walk out of the dungeons Drew begins to weave a story so dark it sounds straight out of a story. Aurum had, just over a year ago, come to stay with them, claiming to have personal troubles and problems he couldn't face alone. Of course, Drew's parents let him in.

At first, he seemed like the perfect houseguest. He was always polite, always did his share of the work, always generous and nice... _too _nice, according to Drew. But one day, Drew came across a potion in Aurum's room, one which a little while later, he saw being tipped into a cup of tea, the colourless drop of liquid melting into the hot drink, and he had no idea what it was for until he saw Cho raise the cup to her lips and take a sip.

Not long after, Cho began to fall seriously ill. Drew began to suspect Aurum of poisoning, but he had no solid evidence and there was no way anyone would have believed his word over his uncle's. As her condition worsened, Aurum, an ex-St. Mungo's healer, tried out different antidotes and medicines, all to no avail. However, Drew noticed that the amount of the potion in his room had significantly decreased, and that with every item he claimed was a remedy, the level fell further.

Soon after Cho was admitted to St Mungo's, where she was at the present, Drew confronted Aurum about it. But Aurum threatened him to stay silent, and cast a Memory Charm on him. But it was a weak one, and now Drew was beginning to have flashes of periods of time where he recalled exactly what had happened.

"Drew," I say as he finished, "_I _believe you."


	4. Chapter 4: Quidditch

**Chapter Four: Quidditch**

"All right, all right, settle down." Madam Hooch says irritably. All the first years, even those who have grown up with the sport, are buzzing with excitement. We're sitting in the stands surrounding the Quidditch pitch, dressed in house colours. I still feel distinctly uncomfortable wearing the green and silver scarf around my neck, but Victoria's chirpy sunny attitude even at this godforsaken hour in the morning sort of distracts me from my accessories.

We're about to watch a demonstration Quidditch game, after which we'll try out the brooms ourselves. It's a friendly match, no points, no house points awarded, but the tension in the air is still there, mainly because it was the two biggest rivals of this history of Hogwarts-Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Which is mainly the reason for my confusion, because seeing the Gryffindor team, which both James and Albus play for, makes me want to support the red and gold, but on the other hand I'm wearing Slytherin colours.

It makes me all the more upset.

The referee is Madam Hooch, but the announcer, as always, is a student. For this, it's a Ravenclaw girl with thick brown hair tucked into a hat.

"-Slytherin team:" She says, and I realise I missed the announcing of the Gryffindor team. Way to go, Lily. Perfect. "-Malfoy-" I remember just before she utters the word. The familiar blonde head, this time quite a distance off the ground, streaks into the air on a broom, more likely than not the latest and most expensive model.

I've been playing Quidditch since I was five, and I've been on a broom before I could say 'Quidditch'. It's more or less expected from me, my parents being the Quidditch players they were. My brothers are good as well, but Albus seems to have taken the most talent. He's an excellent Seeker like my father, but his skills also reside in Chaser, Keeper and Beater. He's also a fancy flier and has gottten grounded numerous times for nearly being sighted by Muggles.

Still, I know more about Quidditch than a lot of my class mates. I keep track of the balls as they dart around the pitch, keep score as the teams battle to win points I knew they were all counting in their heads, keep a look out for the evasive golden Snitch that, once caught, would end the game as well as award the Seeker's team a hundred and fifty points.

Albus is the Seeker for the Gryffindor team, and James the Keeper. I'm more or less keeping an eye on both of them as James hovers in front of the posts, always alert, and Albus speeds around looking, as I am, for the Snitch. Besides that, I'm also occasionally glancing at Scorpius Malfoy and for the first time I see why Albus saw him as a threat. He's good, and no one's exaggerated his skill on the broom. He's playing Seeker opposite Albus, and they circle the pitch, both wanting to beat the other out to the Snitch.

And then, suddenly, I see it. Hovering almost cheekily beside the stand, its wings beating furiously. It's there for a second and then it's gone, but I'm tracking it now, my eyes following its impossible speed. A moment later, Albus catches sight of it just above and to the left of the goal James is guarding. He darts forward, Scorpius right on his heels seconds later. They're racing for it, just like they raced for everything else.

And suddenly it's over. Albus has it in his gloved hand, holding it tightly as its wings beat to escape his grip, but he isn't triumphant-he's stunned. Slowly he drifts back to the ground, swings his legs off the broom, and then a wave of shock passes over his face and he runs to where Scorpius had fallen in the tussle seconds before.

"Disgraceful." McGonagall mutters as she pulls James and me down to the hospital wing, "utterly shameful. I can understand these things happening in actual matches, it happened to your father often enough, but really, this was just a _demonstration..."_

I glance at James. It's the first time I've seen him since the train and he looks grim.

Albus scrambles to his feet, startled, as we walk in. On the bed, Scorpius looks a little pale and battered but absolutely fine. His eyes are still shining as vindictively as always, his sleek blonde hair hardly ruffled. "Professor." They both say in unison. Then, "Lily." Albus turns sharply to glare at Scorpius.

"Both of you." McGonagall snaps. "I have an urge to suspend both of you from your brooms for the rest of the term."

I see the slight tinge of panic in both their eyes as McGonagall issued the threat. Albus' whole life has always been Quidditch, ever since he could stand.

"However," McGonagall adds, "I have no intention of losing my Seeker this early in the school year and let the Cup slip through my fingers. But let's see... Potter, when are you holding tryouts?" She suddenly shoots at James, who'd been chosen as the Gryffindor Quidditch captain this year.

"I-um-I don't know yet, Professor." James stutters, caught off guard.

"Hm. Forty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin and double detention for the time being. Any more mishaps like this," she warns Albus and Scorpius, "and you're both suspended. I'm well aware the two of you aren't the best of friends, but there's absolutely no need for this to result in broken bones. Is that clear?"

Forty points! We hadn't even _earned_ forty points, and it's already been taken away.

"Yes Professor."

McGonagall nods. "Mr Potter," she gestures to both of them collectively, "I would speak to you both outside."

Albus and James follow her out, leaving me in the hospital wing with just Scorpius and Madam Pomfrey.

"So. You've broken a record, I should think." I says, trying to break the awkward silence. "First day of school, in the hospital wing."

Scorpius isn't in a good enough mood to tolerate even the slightest joke. "Not to mention forty points gone, thanks to your brother."

"Never mind," I says optimistically, "we'll-"

"Don't never mind me." He snaps. "I do mind. And it's going to take a while to get forty points back. Your brother has an extreme talent for getting rid of points and attracting trouble like the plague that I don't appreciate in the least."

I'm quiet for a moment while I think of a reply to that, because it's true enough that Albus is a little complacent and reckless. Scorpius shrugs. "I think you need to go back out." He says, nodding out the window. "They've started first-year practice." In the distance I see the pitch, in the middle of which several figures on brooms are bobbing unsteadily.

"Oh, I don't want to miss that." I say without thinking.

He looks at me and shrugs again. "Go. I don't care. It's not like I'm dying."

I take that as an invitation and hurry out of the hospital wing where I burst abruptly into McGonagall, James and Albus' conversation. "Goodness gracious, Ms Potter, where are you in such a hurry to?" McGonagall says, startled.

"Flying lesson's started, Professor," I calls over my shoulder as I edge away, "I really don't want to miss it!" Then without waiting for a response, I flee.

It takes me a few minutes to get back to the pitch and by that time, even the most incompetent first years have sort of gotten the hang of flying, although some are still unsuredly hovering near to the ground, playing it safe. But safe is boring when it came to Quidditch. I grab the only broom left, a poor battered one with twigs everywhere, and don't wait for Madam Hooch's instruction to fly. I just do, kicking off like I've done almost every day for the past six years, only I'm not playing in our backyard anymore, I'm on the actual Quidditch pitch, which had been restored to its former glory after the war with Voldemort ended with Hogwarts triumphant.

Within seconds I've soared past the nervous first time fliers, have surpassed even the more confident ones, have gone way above the highest hoop just taking in the exhilarating feeling. I pull to a gentle stop and hover in mid-air, looking down at all my classmates. How small some of them seem. A broom pulls up next to mine, its rider clearly fairly experienced. It's Elise, her eyes shining. "You're good." She says. "Very good."

"You seem pretty seasoned too." I say truthfully. "Fly a lot?"

"Not much." Elise says, "but I embrace any opportunity. If you want fly a lot, look at people like Alex. She flies every day."

"Me, too." I say. "Victoria and Cheryl?"

"Cheryl's decent for a first-timer." Elise say, gesturing vaguely at one of the more confident ones I'd noticed. "And Victoria's somewhat scared of brooms, so she's sticking near the ground."

"Oh." I say, thinking back and trying to remember if I'd passed Victoria's green streaked head when I flew up here.

"So where'd you go just now?"

"McGonagall took me and my brother to the hospital wing. You know, because of the crash."

"Right." Elise nods. "I think Alex likes your friend."

"My... Scorpius?" I says. "He's not my friend. Just..."

"Your acquaintance." Elise says in a tone that tells me she clearly doesn't believe me, for whatever reason. "Okay. Fine. Whatever. Anyway you've missed three quarters of the lesson already."

"Would've missed more if Scorpius hadn't told me lesson had started." I admit. "But anyway, I'm here. So let's make the most of it."


	5. Chapter 5: Professor Longbottom

"Lil_eeeeeeeee!"_ Victoria squeals, running up to me in the library, her bag and robes flying behind her. "Lily Luna Potter... guess. What."

"You can't stop talking?" I say dryly, writing down the ingredients for a potion to cure boils. Aurum had set us the homework, but we're to hand it in to Professor Slughorn when he comes back the next lesson.

Victoria being Victoira, she doesn't take it to heart. "Lily, don't think like that! They want you to go for Quidditch Team tryouts. Specifically requested."

I look up at Victoria. Her face is shining, her eyes are bright, her cheeks are flushed and she's bouncing on the balls of her toes, clearly excited. "Why?" I say slowly. "The captain's never seen me fly."

"It wasn't the captain who recommended you, silly," Victoria laughs lightly, "it was one of the team members."

"Who?" I say, starting to suspect. I know the answer before she replies.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Why am I not surprised? "I think he's stalking me." I mutter.

"I think he _likes _you!" Victoria squeals. "A senior suggested you for the team, Lily, that's _amazing _for you!"

"Less amazing because it's that senior, specifically." I grumble.

"Oh, just go for it. Who knows, you could get in! I mean, some people don't think so, but personally..." I'm a stubborn person. When people say something is impossible, I have an urge to prove them wrong. All of a sudden, I know I have to make the team, live or die.

"I _will _be making the team." I say firmly. "When's tryouts?"

"In a week or so." She says breathlessly. "This is fantastic."

"For you rather than for me, apparently." I say under my breath. "What about the other first-years? Anyone else trying out?" It's extremely rare for a first-year to be chosen for the team, even though it became more common after my father became Seeker for Gryffindor his first year. And we're not allowed to bring brooms, still, although we are allowed to have them on the occasion that we make the team. I've been dying to get back on my own broom.

"Elise." She replies on the spot. "Marcia Carmichael, Adon Romaine. Bale Hamming. Ashley Campbell, Covette Flint, and Posy and Pollux Bannet." I'm surprised by the large number of first years trying out, and have to admit that she does not do things half way. "Scorpius talked with the captain and they think you should try for Seeker or Chaser."

"Fine." I say. "Now I really think you might want to quieten down, this is the library and Madam Pinch's got her eye on you."

"Hello, Lily," the Herbology professor says jovially.

"Hello, Professor," I say dully-I've never been very good with plants and kill just about every plant I touch, so I was not looking forward to a subject devoted to them (although to be fair some of the plants had the potential to kill me instead)-then register that he'd used my first name and turn around. I start to smile at the slightly pudgy man dressed in brown, worn robes that are sun beaten and have a slightly earthy look to them. I'd forgotten he taught Herbology for a minute. "You used my first name... _professor. _You aren't supposed to." I add.

My father's friend winks at me and grins. "Well it'll be our secret, won't it, miss Potter?"

I smile. "Sure, professor."

"Lily!" Victoria calls impatiently, having saved a place for me beside her at the bench, "will you please hurry?"

Professor Longbottom shoos me away where I join my friends. "So, Herbology. In theory, it's simple. In reality... well, it all depends on the wizard. For example, a student who excels at Charms and Transfiguration and Potions may not necessarily be good at Herbology. Or on the other end, a student who is a dismal failure at everything else may end up achieving an 'Outstanding' for Herbology in his O. . Speaking from experience." He adds, making me grin. I've heard endless tales about Professor Longbottom's mishaps with other classes when he was at Hogwarts with my parents.

"Now let's start off with something relatively interesting..." Professor Longbottom gestures to the innocent-looking potted plants on the bench before us. "Anyone recognise it?"

I look at it. My aunt, Hermione, had given me a quick Herbology lesson as well as some interesting things about her first year at Hogwarts, which included going through a trapdoor to find Nicholas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone. And one of the first obstacles she had faced, she said, was the plant...

I raise my hand. "Devil's Snare." I say.

"Very good, miss Potter, though you had a little advantage, seeing what your family has gone through..." He grins. "Take five points for Slytherin." He nods at me and continues. "Right, Devil's Snare. They're nasty things in big clumps, but in small cuttings like these they're relatively manageable. They thrive in the dark and damp, these plants, but they hate light. Who has any ideas how to control it?"

I raise my hand again, the same time as a narrow-eyed boy. Professor Longbottom looks at me. "Miss Potter?"

"The _lumos _charm." I says.

He nods. "Quite right, take another five points. And-Mr...?"

"Zabini." The boy I recognise as Lucas Zabini drawls. "Light a fire."

"Incendio." I say immediately.

"Take five points, Zabini. Miss Potter, you're right to say Incendio would work, although I wouldn't recommend it for small snippets like these. And that charm is a little too challenging for you right now."

"I know the _lumos _charm." I say. Lucas straightens and catches my gaze.

"So do I." He says.

"Wonderful. Well, then, a demonstration, please, Miss Potter, Mr Zabini."

Facing each other as though duelling, we raise our wands and speak the incantation aloud at the same time, "_lumos."_ Light bursts from our wand tips, not as strong as it could have been, but enough to make the Devil's Snare cuttings recoil, as Professor Longbottom eagerly points out.

"Excellent, excellent," he says, beaming at us both. "Take ten points for that excellent demonstration."

Lucas glares at me as though I stole his spotlight. "Nox." He says, extinguishing his wand just to show me he can.

"Nox," I reply, a little annoyed at his immediate dislike of me. What had I ever done to him? Stuffing my no longer glowing wand into my robes, I take my seat.

Later, as we leave Greenhouse One twenty-five points richer, I realise I'd almost single-handedly won back most of the points McGonagall had taken. "Hey, Lily, well done, that was _fantastic."_ Alex marvels. "How do you know all this stuff?"

I shrug as Lucas Zabini pushes past me, striding briskly back towards the castle. "Excuse me," I call irritably, "don't you owe me an apology?"

He stops and turns to look at me. "What for?"

"Well, you've been nothing but hostile to me."

Lucas flicks his dark hair away from his face. "Everyone knows you shouldn't be in Slytherin, miss _Potter_." He says. "You don't belong here and truthfully, all the teachers treat you like you're special even though you're not. They're biased towards you just because of who your parents are. Look at Longbottom. He obviously favoured you." He rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration, blue eyes glinting dangerously. "So I apologise for hating you... your highness." He turns around and walks off as I stare after him, speechless.

Charms is my first class with the Gryffindors. I haven't spoken to Hugo for so long it hurts, and glancing at him a few rows away, sitting with another boy, I feel even worse than I had earlier that I'm wearing Slytherin colours instead of red like him.

"Now the _wingardium leviosa _charm is a helpful little spell and it's easy too." Professor Flitwick, the tiny Charms professor, says. "It can be used for a variety of things, such as...?" He waits for us to volunteer answers.

Hugo's hand shoots up.

"Mr Weasley."

"My Dad used it to knock out a troll with its own club." He says enthusiastically. I had been about to say that, but I guess Hugo deserves the chance since it was his father. He sits down and exchanged grins with the Gryffindors around him, clearly well-liked, unlike me.

Flitwick smiles broadly. "Ah, yes, the infamous incident. Very good, a point, Mr Weasley, for Gryffindor..." A point! I had gotten five in Herbology. Maybe the teachers did favour me? "Anything else we should know about the charm?"

I raise my hand. "Miss Potter?" Hugo looks my way as if he'd just noticed I was here. He looks interestedly at me, waiting for my answer.

"Well, it's a swish and flick motion..." I says. He nods encouragingly. "And..." I looked at Hugo. "It's _win-_gar_-dium levi-_o_-sa." _He chortles and grins at his mother's lecture to his father about the charm that had eventually saved her life from the aforementioned troll.

"I seem to remember that one." Flitwick muses. "But yes. Take two points, Miss Potter." Hugo smiles at me, unaware of the twenty-five points I'd already gained that morning. "Now, we are going to try the wrist motion. Wands out, everybody."

There's a shuffling sound as we pull out our wands. "All right... now, _swish and flick."_

Obediently, we all mimic the movement he demonstrated. He goes around, correcting errors and praising students. He passes over Hugo and me without much comment, and returns to the front of the room. "I think everybody is ready to try the charm." He says. "Does every one of you have a feather?"

There is a chorus of 'yes' in varying degrees of enthusiasm. "I'd like you to levitate the feather. Remember the swish and flick, now! All right, now, everyone together... _wingardium leviosa!"_

Less than fifteen feathers float up into the air, mine, Cheryl's, Hugo's and Lucas' included. After a few more tries, most of the class has done it, except for this Gryffindor girl whose feather stubbornly remains on the table. She keeps trying, but it won't budge, even though it seems like she's doing it perfectly fine. She looks half in tears.

I look around to see if anyone else has problems, and notice something. Lucas, who's already made his feather fly around the classroom, has his set in front of him, his wand on a different feather. Eyes fixed on the girl's feather, a self-confident smirk on his face; I'm absolutely sure of what he was doing.

He's jinxing the girl's feather. I have to stop him. Quietly, I leave my seat and go over to him. Being fairly small has its advantages-I can slip between desks easily enough. "What are you doing?" I hiss at him, grabbing his wrist.

Lucas doesn't take his eyes off the poor girl. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Stop it, everyone thinks she's incapable of a Levitation Charm thanks to you. Look at her. She's basically crying."

"That's kind of the point, miss Potter."

"Well, stop it! It's mean." I say. "And stop calling me miss Potter."

"I'm not in Slytherin for nothing, miss Potter," he replies, blatantly ignoring my last comment. "Besides the Gryffindors are useless anyway. Brawn over brain..."

"They are not useless." I snap.

"Sure they are."

"Hugo is my friend."

"What, the Weasley? Is he as poor as his Dad? Or equally stupid?"

"Shut up, Lucas." I pull out my wand. "Don't you dare say anything about Hugo."

"Oh, wait a minute, your mum's a Weasley too, isn't she? You're lucky your Dad's pretty rich or you'd be a poor Slytherin wouldn't you, Miss Potter."

"_Rictumsempra_!" I shout. Lucas doubles up, dropping his wand, gasping. The girl's feather floats and she nearly collapses with relief. I scoop his wand up as Flitwick comes running over.

"Miss Potter, Mr Zabini!" He says angrily. I glance over at Hugo, who is trying not to laugh and flashesme a thumbs-up. "I will see you after class. Miss Potter, return to your seat immediately." I start to walk away when he adds, "and return Mr Zabini's wand to him." I sigh and throw it back to Lucas, who is glaring at me with intense loathing, then return to my seat.

Between Lucas and I, we get fifteen points taken off for 'deliberately hindering another student (Lucas), disrupting class (both of us) and assaulting another student (me)' and a detention each. "Great job, miss Potter." He snaps. "That makes the day's total twelve points and a detention, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?!" I say. "And I suppose you think none of this is _your _fault."

He doesn't reply, just raised his eyebrows.

"Lucas Zabini," I say, fuming, "you are single-handedly the most awful person I have ever known in my life!"

"Good to know, Miss Potter." He says coolly, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking off for our next class.


End file.
